Dangerous to Know & Love

by Jane Harvey-Berrick

  Lisanne fully expected to see Daniel scowling when she turned around to introduce him, so she was bewildered to find a broad smile on his face.

  “Um, Rodney, this is my boyfriend Daniel Colton. Daniel, this is my friend from high school, Rodney Dubois.”

  The two men shook hands, and then Daniel headed to the counter to order a latte for Lisanne and his usual black coffee.

  “So,” said Rodney slowly, “that’s your boyfriend.”

  “Yes,” said Lisanne kindly, but firmly.

  “He’s different.”

  Rodney’s voice was amused but without judgment.

  Lisanne smiled. He was so right.

  “And you look different, too. My mom would have a heart attack if she saw you now.”

  Rodney’s voice took on a wistful tone that made Lisanne regret dressing so skimpily. She hoped it didn’t look like she was rubbing his face in the fact that she now had a boyfriend – and it wasn’t him.

  Daniel returned and slouched down in his chair, angling it so he could face both of them at the same time.

  Rodney turned his gaze to Daniel.

  “Are you studying music, too?”

  Lisanne winced but Daniel kept his gaze neutral.

  “No, economics with business, and math as a minor.”

  “Oh,” said Rodney, clearly surprised. “I thought…” he glanced to Lisanne for help.

  “What about you?” said Daniel, steering the conversation away from himself. “Lisanne hasn’t said… You were in the school orchestra together?”

  “Yeah, I played the cello – but nothing like Lisanne.” He smiled at her fondly, “She was out of everyone’s league.”

  They both stared at her and she felt her face heat up.

  “I’ve been going to theological college to train to be a pastor, like my father.”

  Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Can’t be easy for you.”

  Lisanne frowned. It wasn’t like Daniel to make assumptions like that, but when she looked at him, she saw something like sympathy in his eyes. She was puzzled.

  Rodney sighed. “I used to think it was…”

  Lisanne stared. “But you’ve wanted this like forever!”

  “Things change,” he said.

  “Yeah,” said Daniel, nodding slowly in agreement. “They do.”

  Some sort of unspoken communication passed between them, and Lisanne felt very much on the outside.

  They were interrupted by a girl who asked them for the time – presumably as a pretext, because she made no attempt to restrain her open ogling of Daniel. Lisanne sighed. She was getting used to it, although it still pissed her the hell off. She rested her hand on Daniel’s thigh in a clear, territorial display.

  Daniel smiled down at her and Rodney looked amused.

  They chatted amiably and Lisanne was surprised – and if she was honest with herself, slightly annoyed – that the guys seemed to be getting along so well. She just wouldn’t have figured it. Wasn’t Rodney supposed to be pining for her? Wasn’t Daniel usually jealous of any guy who talked to her? It was very confusing.

  She was even more surprised when Rodney suggested they go on to a club where the bouncers were a little lax on IDs. And even more surprised when Daniel said it was fine by him.

  “Um, I don’t think mom and dad would…”

  “Come on, Lis,” said Daniel, nuzzling her hair. “No disrespect to your folks, but I don’t think I can handle the rest of the evening watching Bruce Willis films with your dad, while he tries not to leap out of his chair every time I touch you.”

  Rodney chuckled knowingly and Lisanne threw him a dirty look.

  “Come on, baby doll,” whispered Daniel persuasively, using the sexy smile that he knew she couldn’t resist.

  Lisanne tried once more. “Do you think you should, after… you know?”

  Daniel frowned and pulled away from her, his eyes flicking up to Rodney, who looked puzzled.

  Lisanne capitulated. “Okay, fine. But please don’t drink. I hate being the only sober person, and I have to drive.”

  Daniel still looked irritated and agreed curtly. Rodney just shrugged and nodded.

  “I’m driving, too,” he said.

  As they walked out onto the street, Lisanne shivered slightly. Daniel looked down at her and without speaking, pulled off his shirt and handed it to her.

  She couldn’t help smiling to herself as she slipped it on and tied it in a knot at the front.

  Rodney was staring at the tattoos he could see winding their way down Daniel’s arms.

  “Nice ink,” he said.

  Daniel hadn’t seen him speak so he didn’t answer. Rodney frowned but chose not to comment.

  The club was one that Lisanne hadn’t heard of before – although clubbing had never really been her thing – and was surprised that Rodney seemed to know about it. The two bouncers were well muscled men, clean cut, and identically dressed in white t-shirts and tight jeans.

  Rodney turned to Daniel.

  “I should have said but I didn’t think you’d say yes.”

  Daniel smirked. “I don’t give a shit.”

  Rodney blinked then gave a small smile. “No, you don’t, do you.”

  “Just so long as the only hands I feel on my ass belong to baby doll.”

  Lisanne was puzzled, her eyes toggling between the two of them. What on earth were they talking about? She didn’t know what was going on. It must be a guy thing. How irritating was that?

  Stopping at an ATM so Daniel could withdraw some money, then paid the club’s cover charge, and Lisanne walked in with Daniel’s arm draped casually across her shoulders. It was almost darker inside than on the nighttime street. Lisanne peered into the gloom, wondering if there would be anyone she recognized.

  She could feel the music vibrating through the soles of her shoes and relaxed slightly, knowing Daniel could feel it, too. She understood now why he felt comfortable in clubs – if they didn’t have live bands – he wasn’t at a disadvantage.

  Rodney pointed his chin toward the bar and they all followed – it was the only part of the club where there was a chance of speaking and being heard. The irony was not lost on Lisanne.

  She asked for a bottle of water and both of the guys had beers. She frowned but didn’t say anything. Daniel took a long drink and then leaned down to speak into her ear. She felt his cool lips and warm breath on her skin, causing a tremor to run through her.

  “Want to dance, baby doll?”

  She nodded and he pulled her out onto the dance floor. Rodney watched from the bar, his face holding a slight smile, although his eyes were filled with longing.

  Lisanne felt bad for leaving him by himself, but it had been his idea to go to the club after all. Then she felt Daniel pull her into his chest and she stopped thinking about anybody else.

  She loved how at ease he was with his body, feeling the rhythm, perhaps hearing the music in his mind. It was hard to say – he so rarely talked about things like that – personal things. The only time he’d truly opened up had been in his letter. It was frustrating.

  She felt his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. So she let her fingers drift up his chest, brushing over his nipple rings, and tightened her hands firmly behind his neck. He grinned down then suddenly dipped her low to the floor, making her squeal. She caught a flash of Rodney’s grinning face at the bar as Daniel stood her upright, and kissed the bare skin beneath her throat.

  They seemed to be getting quite a bit of attention with people staring at them. Lisanne felt herself moving to Icona Pop’s pumping vibe, I Love It. At first, she felt rather self-conscious but Daniel didn’t seem to notice or, if he did, it didn’t concern him. Plus, everyone around her seemed to be heading to the dance floor to let loose for that tune, and the DJ pumped up the bass.

  Twenty minutes later, and Lisanne was out of breath. She tapped on Daniel’s shoulder and signaled a timeout with her hands. As they walked back toward the bar, a man stopped them and said s
omething to Daniel. She couldn’t hear what it was, but Daniel shook his head and hooked a finger into the pocket of her denim skirt. The man held up his hands and backed away. It occurred to Lisanne that there were very few women in the club. Looking around the room, she glimpsed two men kissing openly, and she nudged Daniel. He glanced over then smiled at her, totally unfazed.

  Rodney looked challengingly at Lisanne.

  “There aren’t many girls in here,” she said, slowly. “I think this is a gay club.”

  “Yes,” said Rodney, “it is.”

  “Did you know?” she said, wide-eyed.

  Rodney nodded so she turned to Daniel, who was watching her with amusement.

  “Did you?”

  Daniel grinned at her.

  “Baby doll, the look on your face. You’re so cute!”

  Lisanne stared in confusion. “Why are we in a gay club?”

  Daniel looked at Rodney. “Do you want to tell her or should I?”

  “What?” said Lisanne. “Tell me what?”

  Rodney grimaced, then looked up at Lisanne. “I’m gay.”

  Lisanne stared.

  “No, you’re not.”

  Now it was Rodney’s turn to stare.

  Lisanne had heard what he’d said, but the words seemed to take forever to make sense.

  “But… what…? When…? I mean… are you sure?”

  Rodney looked dumbfounded by her question. “Well, yeah. I’m sure.”

  “Since when?!”

  “Well, always, I guess.”

  She turned her accusing gaze to Daniel. “How the hell did you know?”

  He shrugged.

  Dumb. Dumber. Dumbest. Lisanne flushed with anger and embarrassment.

  “Well why didn’t you tell me?” she yelped at Rodney.

  “It’s not so easy. We’ve been friends like forever. I thought you’d figure it out. Eventually.” He sighed. “But you never did and… your parents are friends with mine and dad’s a preacher…”

  Lisanne felt hurt. “So you can tell my boyfriend that you’ve known for all of two hours, but you can’t tell me? We’ve been friends since kindergarten!”

  “I didn’t have to tell him, Lis, he just knew. I didn’t know how to tell you. I hoped… you know… You’re not mad?”

  “Yes! I’m so mad at you! I’m mad you didn’t tell me. I’m not mad you’re, you know, gay, for goodness sake! We’re friends, Rodney.”

  He looked relieved. “Thanks, Lis.”

  “Do your parents know?”

  He shook his head. “I’m waiting until after Christmas for that conversation… and that I won’t be going back to theological college.”

  Lisanne shook her head, sadly.

  “It’ll break dad’s heart,” said Rodney bitterly, and Lisanne didn’t know if he meant because he was gay or because he no longer wanted to train to be a man of the cloth. She was tired and feeling emotional, and still kind of pissed at Daniel because he’d guessed in a few minutes what had been under her nose for years.

  She’d always thought that Rodney liked her that way. It was beyond embarrassing. But what Rodney had to face – that was way harder. She gave herself a mental kick – this wasn’t about her.

  “Well, fine. I suppose you want to go shopping with me now.”

  Rodney rolled his eyes and pretended to sigh. “That is so cliché!”

  Lisanne gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. “Serves you right for not telling me.”

  Rodney gave her a squeeze and looked at Daniel. “Look after my girl.”

  Daniel smiled. “It’s a full-time job.” He looked at Lisanne’s tired face. “Do you want to go home now, baby doll?”

  She nodded and looked at Rodney. “Are you going home, too?”

  “No. Think I’ll stay for a while,” he said. “Maybe we could catch up again before New Years?”

  “Sure, I’d like that. Take care, Rodney.”

  She slipped her hand around Daniel’s waist and they strolled out of the club.

  They hadn’t walked more than half a dozen paces before Lisanne heard someone calling her name.

  “Hey, Maclaine! Mouse Girl!”

  She turned with a horrified expression.

  Grayson Woods.

  And associates.

  “Your faggoty fucking friend broke my goddamn nose!” he growled.

  Lisanne looked up, realizing that Grayson’s nose had indeed been remodeled.

  Daniel glanced around him and his lips tightened into a thin line.

  “Get back to the car, Lis,” he said quietly.

  “No!” she gasped. “I’m not leaving you!”

  His gaze was strained and deadly serious. “Go now, Lis!”

  He was still staring at her, his eyes burning with intensity – when Grayson hit him, catching the left side of Daniel’s face.

  Suddenly he was on the floor, holding the side of his head, and Grayson Woods was standing over him with a cruel smile twisting his lips.

  “I’m going to fuck you up,” he snarled, aiming a kick at Daniel’s unprotected ribs.

  Lisanne screamed as one of Grayson’s friends aimed a second kick. Daniel was still holding his head, using his hands to cover the left side. He coughed and gasped, as the second blow caught him low in the stomach. Lisanne ran forward but Grayson batted her away.

  Lisanne screamed again, and the bouncers from the club looked up and started toward them. Before Lisanne could react, there was an old-fashioned melee going on at her feet. More men ran out from the club, and soon it was Grayson’s friends who were getting a beat down, curses filling the air and fists flying. The fight broke apart, and Grayson fled, sprinting down the street, his friends trailing behind him.

  Lisanne was on her knees next to Daniel. He looked dazed and she realized blood was seeping through his beanie.

  She pulled it off and saw the gauze was soaked red. Her heart shuddered and she felt sick.

  One of the club guys pushed her out of the way.

  “I’m a nurse, let me look.” He checked Daniel over quickly, running his hands along his body to see if anything seemed to be broken.

  Daniel sat up shakily and the nurse took one look at the dressing, giving Lisanne a significant look.

  “Okay,” said the nurse, “let’s get him off the street.”

  Hooking Daniel’s arms around their shoulders, two burly men half dragged, half carried Daniel back into the club. Rodney came running over, his face pale and shocked.

  “What happened?”

  “Grayson Woods,” gasped Lisanne, her hands trembling from fear and adrenalin.

  “Fucker!” hissed Rodney.

  Rodney saw the blood-soaked dressing on Daniel’s head and looked confused, but the nurse was thoughtful. “I think we should get him to hospital,” he said, calmly. “Just to get him checked over.”

  Lisanne rubbed Daniel’s arm, and he looked up at her, his eyes slowly focusing.

  “They’re going to call an ambulance.”

  He shook his head slowly. “No. No more hospitals, baby doll.”

  “Daniel…!”

  “Please, Lis,” he said, sounding dazed.

  “You’re bleeding all over the place!” she cried.

  He gave her a lopsided smile. “Yeah.”

  “Take him into the office,” said the nurse. “They keep a first aid kit in there.”

  Rodney and one of the other men helped Daniel to stand, and led him into a room a short distance from the main entrance, lowering him into a seat.

  The man who’d identified himself as a nurse gently pulled off Daniel’s dressing.

  “Has he had a procedure?”

  Lisanne nodded. “Yes. A cochlear implant – a week ago.”

  The nurse glanced up at Lisanne’s worried tone.

  “Okay, that doesn’t look too bad.” He stood in front of Daniel and spoke slowly and clearly. “Where you had stitches, one has pulled apart slightly. There’s no bleeding from your ear that I can see
. Breathe deeply for me.”

  Daniel pulled in several deep breaths, letting them out slowly. Lisanne could see it caused him some pain but the nurse looked pleased.

  He stood in front of Daniel and gave another instruction.

  “Can you tell me where you are?”

  “Shit-poke, Iowa.” Lisanne nudged his arm and Daniel sighed. “Well, I guess it must be Georgia then.”

  “Can you repeat the months of the year in reverse order?”

  “Give me a fucking break,” said Daniel.

  “He’s only trying to help,” snapped Lisanne.

  “December, November, October, September…” Daniel intoned, obediently.

  “Okay, that’ll do. Let’s take a look at your ribs.”

  Wincing, Daniel pulled up his t-shirt and Lisanne’s hand flew to her mouth. Several large bruises were billowing out across Daniel’s smooth skin.

  The nurse ran his hands over Daniel’s chest and stomach. “Nice nipple rings. Ahem. There doesn’t appear to be anything broken, but I still think you should have an x-ray to check if your ribs are cracked.”

  “Fuck that,” said Daniel, tiredly. “They wouldn’t do anything even if they were – except tape them up. I can do that myself.”

  The nurse shook his head but smiled.

  “Okay, Mr. Oh So Stubborn. Last test. See if you can touch my finger and then touch the tip of your nose.”

  Daniel dropped his t-shirt down and straightened up. Lisanne winced in sympathy. She was glad that he didn’t have any trouble following the nurse’s instructions.

  “Sure I can’t persuade you of the benefits of a quick trip to the emergency room?” said the nurse.

  Daniel shook his head and cursed again.

  “No, I’m good.”

  “Honey, you’re more than good,” sighed one of the other men. “Vernon, next time I want to play nurse with the hot guy.”

  The nurse smiled and Lisanne wanted to sink through the floor – even guys were ogling her boyfriend now. At least they weren’t hitting on him – yet.

  “He’s pigheaded, that’s for sure,” said the nurse. “Hard headed, too. I’ll just put some butterfly strips over his wound. I suggest you wait here for 10 minutes and if there’s any dizziness, call an ambulance, no matter what he says.”

  Lisanne nodded.

  When the nurse was done, he tried one last time to persuade Daniel to go to hospital, and also to persuade Lisanne to call the police. Daniel wouldn’t allow either, and eventually the nurse left them alone with Rodney.